Heat retaining means for furnaces



July 29, 1958 B. BUHR 2,845,037

HEAT RETAINING'MEANS' FOR FURNACES I Filed July 22, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F igt 1 so W 39 I INVENTOR.

as? Ell/IR July 29, 1958 B. BUHR I 2,845,037

HEAT RETAINING MEANS FOR FURNACES Filed July 22, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 INVENTOR. BER 7 50/11? A'rraR/VEY United States Patent HEAT RETAINING MEANS FOR FURNACES Bert Buhr, Dubuque, Iowa Application July 22, 1955, Serial No. 523,663

1 Claim. (Cl. 11097) This invention relates to improvements in furnaces and more particularly to means for retaining heat.

An important object of the invention is to provide a special assembly for installation within a furnace to retain and conserve heat which would normally escape through the usual flue.

Another object of the invention is to provide heat retaining means for furnaces, either of the oil or gas burning type, which due to its simplified construction will not materially increase the present costs of this type of heating plant.

A further object of the invention is to provide heat retaining means for furnaces of the character stated which can be readily installed and which can be readily repaired when the occasion demands.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to the reader of the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a furnace with the improved heat retaining means installed.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through a portion of the heat retaining means.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1. 1

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the heat retaining columns.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the supporting ring.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the supporting legs.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the suspension disk for the upper unit.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of one of the heat retaining elements of the upper unit.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, it can be seen, that numeral 20 generally refers to a furnace which is composed of an outer shell 21 having a dome 22 and a flue pipe 23 extending therefrom.

Numeral 24 denotes an inner drum having a top 25 and the side walls of this drum is spaced from the shell 21 to provide a hot air space 26.

Both the shell 21 and the drum 24 are mounted upon a base 27 having an upstanding side wall 28 through which a conduit 29 extends, this conduit 29 supplying air and also containing a fuel line 30 leading to a burner and deflector 31.

The lower portion of the drum 24 may have openings 32 therein.

In carrying out the present invention, heat retaining means is the factor and involves a lower heat retaining assembly 33 and an upper heat retaining assembly 34.

The lower assembly includes a ring or annulus 35, such as is shown in Figure 6 and this may be sectional. This annulus is formed with a plurality of openings 36 to receive bolts 37, which extend through openings in the lateral portions 38 of inclined legs 39. The lower ends of Patented July 29, 1958 the legs are formed with horizontal feet 40. These feet rest upon the bottom 27 of the furnace base.

The same bolts or screws 37 that secure the legs 39 to the ring 35 also extend upwardly into the elements of the assembly 33 and each of these elements consists of a vertical post 41 provided with a plurality of heat absorbing and retaining arms 42 projecting therefrom. The bolts 37 serve to retain these posts 41 in vertical position and the elements can be rotated to the desired position for the most eflicient retention of heat.

The unit 34 is similar to the unit 33, excepting that it is inverted and of smaller diameter.

The unit 34 consists of a disc or plate 43 from which depends a plurality of rods or posts 44. From these posts 44 laterally project a plurality of heating retaining arms 45 A bolt 46 extends through the center of the plate 43 and has jamb nuts 47 thereon, one at each side of the disc 43.

The rod 46 extends upwardly through the top 25 of the drum 24. This rod 46 has a collar 48 thereon for engaging the under side of the top 25, while a wing-nut or other securing element 47 is on the upper end of the rod 46 to engage against the top 25, as shown in Figure 1, thus holding the unit 34 just above the unit or assembly 33 and well within the peripheral confines of the latter.

It can now be seen that with the supply of fuel and the air through the conduit 29 and combustion by way i of the burner 31, air heated in the drum 24 will thoroughly heat the drum, the air passing through the openings 32 therein and upward through the space 26, with the units 33 and 34 serving to retain a considerable amount of this heat, thus preventing it being carried off by the escaping air, through the flue 23.

While the foregoing description sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A furnace having an inner wall, an outer wall, a dome for said outer wall, a top for said inner wall, said walls being interconnected at their lower ends, said inner wall having openings therethrough adjacent its lower end, a burner centrally located in the lower end portion of said inner wall, a lower heat retaining unit comprising a relatively large ring positioned below said burner in concentric relation thereto, a plurality of circumferentially spaced vertically extending posts affixed to said ring, and a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal arms extending from each side of each of said posts, and an upper heat retaining assembly comprising a relatively small disc centrally suspended from the top for said inner wall, a plurality of circumferentially spaced dependent rods afiixed to said disc and extending to approximately the same horizontal plane in which lie the upper ends of said posts, and a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal arms extending from each side of each of said rods.

Australia Nov. 16, 1950 

